Rounds, Colleagues Lead Legislation to Combat Housing Crisis

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) have reintroduced the Whole-Home Repairs Act, a bill to address the nationwide housing crisis by providing essential home repair assistance to low-and-moderate-income homeowners and local landlords.

This legislation seeks to replicate the widely successful Whole-Home Repairs program spearheaded in another state to a federal scale through a five-year pilot initiative. The program would provide grants and forgivable loans to help homeowners and local landlords repair and weatherize their properties. The program also supports training and pre-apprenticeship programs to create jobs and build a skilled workforce for the future.

"The Whole-Home Repairs Act will not only provide an opportunity to assist homeowners, but it will also establish a new standard for how federal programs can operate more efficiently," said Rounds. "Maintaining our existing housing stock is vitally important, especially in rural communities where it is often cost prohibitive to develop new housing. The Whole-Home Repair program will allow housing practitioners the ability to adequately rehab our existing housing unit so it can continue to be safe and affordable for the long-term. I appreciate the opportunity to work with my colleagues to introduce this important legislation."

"Bureaucratic red tape continues to pain low-income families throughout the Cowboy State when they apply for federal home repair grants," said Lummis.

"Last year, we took an idea that was born and bred in Pennsylvania and brought it to the national stage. Now we're back to finish the job," said Fetterman. "Millions of families are living in homes that are unsafe, unhealthy, or unlivable because they can't afford repairs. The Whole-Home Repairs Act promotes a practical, proven solution to this problem. This program helped thousands of Pennsylvanians stay in their homes, imagine what it could do for families across the country. I will proudly continue pushing to make this happen at the federal level."

"Without a safe, decent place to live, nothing in your life works. For too many families, it's increasingly difficult to keep up with major home repairs that are essential to maintaining a safe household," said?Smith. "The Whole-Home Repairs program gives homeowners and local landlords the ability to get reliable, affordable upgrades and repairs to their homes, addressing the housing crisis one safe, livable home at a time. I am proud to cosponsor this bill to expand this initiative."

Across the country, an estimated 6.7 million Americans live in homes with serious deficiencies such as leaking roofs, mold, faulty wiring or inadequate heating and cooling systems. By addressing housing deterioration at its root, the Whole-Home Repairs Act tackles one of the biggest contributors to the housing shortage: the loss of livable housing units to deterioration.

The Whole-Home Repairs Act has earned praise from a wide range of housing advocates and organizations, including the Housing Assistance Council, Council for Affordable and Rural Housing, National Association of Home Builders, National Association of Towns and Townships, BPC Action, Coalition for Home Repair, Habitat for Humanity International, National Housing Law Project (NHLP), National NeighborWorks Association (NNA), Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), National Community Development Association and National Association of REALTORS.

Click HERE for full bill text.